Chapter 5: Induction

Remus had come by the next day to tell Bree of the meeting. The Order had seemed excited that someone wanted to join their ranks. She was to meet with them during the next meeting, which was in a week. He explained that she would need to prove her abilities to them and that they would decide upon her membership depending on how she did with her trials. Bree was excited to finally be tested and have this phase of the plan move forward. She couldn’t wait for the week to pass.

oooOOOooo

Severus Snape stalked down the hallway, an angry and intimidating vision. He had had a lousy day. Three cauldron explosions had occurred in three separate classes. Luckily no one had been hurt seriously. He was returning from the hospital wing for the third time in three hours. Severus didn’t know why he continued to teach such dunderheads. There was bound to be a serious injury eventually. Then he would be laden with guilt and it would be some stupid student’s fault. He had enough to worry about without having to watch dunderheaded students blowing their heads off.

Severus got to the door of his office, entered, and slammed it behind him. He sunk into his chair and eyed the essays that sat there awaiting him. He certainly wasn’t in the mood for dunderheaded drivel. He eyed his office. He had been in the other professor’s offices and they were far different from his. Most chose open spaces and light colors. His office was quite dim and held vast amounts of large bookshelves. They lined every wall. The office wasn’t incredibly large, but it was comfortable. Well, comfortable to him and his bookish ways. He surrounded himself with interesting books on every subject. They covered the walls, leaving not an inch of paint or wallpaper visible. He didn’t even remember what the color of the original walls was. He had covered them immediately upon becoming the Potions professor.

Unfortunately, none of the books on those shelves would ease his awful mood today. Perhaps a walk along the lake would help. Or maybe even a flight on his broom. He could race around with the wind making his hair fly behind him.

Yes, that was what he would do. He rose to get his broom when there was a knock on the door. Gritting his teeth, he stalked over to the door and flung it open. He found Lucius Malfoy standing there.

“Lucius, to what do I owe this… pleasure?” Severus sneered.

“Now, now, Severus, I was just visiting Dumbledore. Board of Governors business and all that. I’d thought I’d stop in and say hello.” Lucius strode past him without another glance.

Severus frowned at the well dressed man. Lucius never failed to be dressed impeccably. His long, dark green robes flowed behind him as he entered, his cane tapping along the floor as he walked to the chair in front of Severus’ desk and sat down. Severus knew he used his mode of dress to intimidate others. Severus, however, was not intimidated. He sighed, knowing he would not get away with brushing off Lucius today. He stalked to his desk and sat down as well.

“Ah, your office never changes, Severus.”

“And neither does your audacity, Lucius. Why are you here?”

“I’m just checking in on a good friend. I also have a message from the Dark Lord.”

“Why didn’t he just tell me the message himself?”

“He is busy.”

“Of course,” Severus said with a slight bow of his head.

“He wants you to know that plans for his major attack are coming along splendidly.”

“Alright,” Severus said in puzzlement.

“He looks forward to your continued help.”

“I am always here to do what I can.”

“Yes… well… he wants to assure your involvement when the time comes.”

Severus narrowed his eyes at Lucius. “Did the Dark Lord really send you here, or are you just spying on me?”

Lucius raised his eyebrows in innocence. “Now, Severus, why ever would I do that?”

“The Dark Lord trusts me, Lucius. I don’t know why you do not.”

“I wanted to make sure you have decided on which side you’ll be.”

“I decided that a long time ago, Lucius. I am not about to change my mind now.”

“I certainly hope not, Severus. As I have said before, I do not want to see you hurt.”

“Have you delivered your message, Lucius?”

“That is all the Dark Lord wanted you to know.”

“Then there is the door,” Severus said as he pointed the way out to Lucius.

Lucius stood and walked to the door. He paused for a second and then turned back around.

“I do value our friendship, Severus. I just hope that when the time comes, we will find you on the right side.”
Severus sneered at Lucius. “Get out!” he snarled. “And don’t question my motives again!”

Lucius gave Severus a tight smile and disappeared from the room, his robes floating behind him.

Severus watched him go. That meeting had done nothing to improve his mood. If anything, it made him want to wreak havoc upon the castle, destroying anything in his wake.

How dare Lucius question his allegiances? The man was obviously looking for him to slip up somehow. Severus smirked to himself. He had been a spy too long to let something slip. He understood the danger he was in.

Lucius would have nothing to accuse him of, for he would see nothing. Nothing but devotion for the Dark Lord. Hopefully Lucius would drop his accusations sooner or later.

He thought back to his long time friend. Their relationship had been strained as of late. Lucius had drawn into himself somewhat and had taken to ignoring Severus. Severus was at a loss as to what Lucius’ true motives were. He wondered if Lucius was trying to vie for Severus’ position among the Death Eaters. Was he really that power hungry that he would turn Severus in to take control of his position with the Dark Lord? Or was he thinking of their friendship after all. Maybe the Dark Lord did suspect him of something, and Lucius was simply warning him. If that were the case, the fool didn’t need to be so cryptic about it! Either way, someone suspected Severus of something.

He wished he could lay low for a while, but the tattoo on his arm kept him from that option. Curse it all, there wasn’t much he could do. He needed to appear to be loyal to the Dark Lord, which included him being present at meetings and giving up information on the Order. He also needed to give information to Dumbledore. He knew that when the Order was prepared for whatever attack was to come, his involvement would be suspect. He needed to have a credible alibi for what was to come. Maybe he could pin the leaking of information on Lucius himself. That would be an interesting turn of events. Severus quickly banished that thought from his mind. No matter what was going on, Lucius was his friend. But he is willing to sell you out. You would just be getting him before he got you.

Severus scowled. Spy or not, he would not destroy a friend unless it was absolutely necessary. He would just make sure that Lucius never had reason to question his loyalty.

He stalked over to the closet and pulled his broom out of it. Stalking out of his office, he headed for the entry way and out the doors. Situating himself on his broom, he took off, trying to forget all that had happened during this most awful day.

oooOOOooo

The week passed by quickly and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Bree found herself waiting for Remus to escort her to the Order meeting. She sat calmly, but there was an undercurrent of nervousness within her. What if she didn’t perform well enough? What if this Snape character saw through her Occlumency and discovered the plan? In a matter of minutes she could ruin everything that her liaison had worked so hard to put into place.

She shook herself mentally. She was an Auror for heaven’s sake. She could pass any test they threw at her. Her dueling skills were impeccable and she was up to date on the latest charms, hexes, and even potions. She had never let anyone see her thoughts before, why was this time so intimidating to her? She sighed. She would be fine.

At that moment there was a knock on the door. Bree bounced up and answered it. Smiling at Remus, she closed her door behind her and they headed out of their building. They paused outside of it and Remus took her arm in his. They had previously decided upon traveling by side along apparition as Bree didn’t know the location of the meeting. They turned in unison and disappeared.

Appearing before the long row of houses, Remus took Bree’s hand and led her to Number 12. Remus had explained to her that if for some reason, her test didn’t go well and they had decided to not make her a member of the Order, she would be Obliviated and not remember a thing about Grimmauld Place or the Order.

Remus led her up the stairs and into the house. They made their way to a large room that looked like a library or sitting room. It was filled with people sitting in a circle. Some were comfortably on chairs, others on couches that had been placed strategically to form the circle around the white bookshelves that lined the walls of the room. The Order members all turned en masse and looked at her as she and Remus entered the room. She glanced around at everyone. There were several ginger haired men in the bunch. Even though none of these people would know her, she had kept up on the news in Britain and some of the faces were familiar to her.

At the head of the circle was Albus Dumbledore. To his left was an older, wise looking witch who Bree recognized as Minerva McGonagall. Two red haired men who looked like twins sat next to her. On the other side of Dumbledore sat an older man who looked a bit crazed. Bree recognized him immediately. All during her Auror training she had heard of the escapades of Alastor ‘Mad Eye’ Moody. She had longed to meet him during that time, but now she thanked Merlin that she had never gotten the opportunity to do so, for he would have recognized her right off and ruined the whole plan had he known her before.

Another red haired man sat next to Moody and then there was, uh oh, who was that? Bree thought. Sitting next to the friendly looking red haired man was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes upon. Well, he was handsome to her. She knew her tastes were a little odd when it came to men. She usually found that she was attracted to men that other women would turn their noses upon.

He was dressed all in black, including his cape. He had jet black hair that was straight and went down to his shoulders. She would have liked to run her fingers through that hair. His eyes were also black and seemed endless. He had a rather prominent nose, but that just served to make his features more chiseled and attractive to her. Oh boy, she could fall for him fast.

She noticed that he was also staring at her, his eyes cold and calculating. It was as if he was trying to look into her soul. He frowned at her and she looked away. Remus took this moment to grasp her hand and make the introductions.

“Hello, everyone; I’d like you to meet Brianna Corwin. She is the one I told you about.”

Everyone gave her a slight nod. Remus went around the circle and made introductions. Bree found out that all of the ginger haired people were Weasleys. Several others she hadn’t known were Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shackelbolt, who she had actually recognized from Muggle newscasts, Hermione Granger, the world renowned Harry Potter, and, of course, the man she had found so attractive had been Severus Snape.

She cringed inwardly. Just what she needed, to be attracted to the spy in the group. And he would be reading her mind later. It sent a shiver up her spine which she wasn’t sure meant she was anticipating the encounter or dreading letting something slip.

Albus Dumbledore nodded to her again. “Welcome Brianna, it is an honor to have you here.”

She smiled at him. “The honor is all mine, sir.”

“I hope you can understand that we take membership in this organization very seriously. You will have to pass a series of tests before you can be accepted into our group. If you are found to be capable of becoming a member you will take an oath of secrecy to never divulge the location of this meeting place or any of the other Order secrets. If it is found that you are not suitable for this group, you will be Obliviated and have no recollection of anything to do with this organization. Do you understand these terms?”

Bree nodded in affirmation.

Dumbledore smiled at her and his eyes twinkled. “Excellent. Professor Snape will be putting you through the paces. If you will follow him, he will explain anything else that you might need to know before you begin.”

Severus Snape stood and walked to the door, not even glancing behind him to see if she had followed him. She quickly followed his billowing cape and they ascended the stairs and entered one of the bedrooms on the far side of the second floor. With a wave of his wand, the room became considerably larger and all of the furniture was pushed to the side.

He turned and glared at Bree. She didn’t look like much, but he was not one to underestimate anyone. He had found that some of the most powerful witches and wizards had come in what seemed to be unassuming packages.

“Brianna Corwin, why do you want to join our ranks?” he asked her.

Bree tilted her head a little as she answered. “I want to fight against Voldemort.”

“That’s it?” He looked at her reproachfully.

She furrowed her brow. “Well, my family was killed by Death Eaters. I guess you could say that I’m seeking revenge. But even if that had never happened, I would stop at nothing to prevent Voldemort from gaining power. He is evil and will destroy our world if given the chance.”
Severus nodded at her.

“Perhaps Lupin has told you that I am a Death Eater. How do you feel about having me as a member of the Order?”

Bree wasn’t sure what this had to do with her being suitable for the Order, but she answered anyway.

“He didn’t tell me anything about the Order members. I assume that if you are willing to divulge such things, then you must be spying against Voldemort. In that case, I think you are probably the Order’s greatest asset.”

Severus stared at her for a long while. No one had ever referred to him as an asset before. He snapped himself out of his musings and continued his questioning.

“I am a skilled Legilimens. Would you be adverse to me reading your mind?”

Bree looked at him a bit surprised. “I didn’t know I had a choice,” she mused.

Severus sighed. “I would not read your mind against your will, Miss Corwin. This is simply a test of your allegiances and abilities.”

Bree nodded her approval and Severus extracted his wand and got ready to perform the Legilimency spell. Bree’s mind wandered for a moment and she mused at how incredibly handsome he was once again. Without warning he was in her mind.

Oh crap! She thought.

Severus stopped immediately. “Oh crap, what?” he demanded.

Bree began to stutter. “I . . . I was just . . . thinking about something . . . that I’d rather you . . . not see.”

“In order for you to pass this test, Miss Corwin, I will need to see everything. What was it you were thinking?”

“Nothing important.” She cringed within herself. Now if he didn’t see a recent memory he would know she would be hiding something. She would have to let him see the truth.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

She nodded again.

“Legilimens” Severus entered her mind and saw what she was thinking a minute ago. He withdrew quickly, a bit embarrassed.

“Miss Corwin, I thought you were involved with Lupin. How is it your thoughts are on my extreme good looks?”

She smirked at him, deciding to counter her own embarrassment with some wit. “You can’t blame a girl for noticing! It’s not like I was going to attack you or anything.”

Severus blushed. He couldn’t remember the last time he had blushed at anything and here this woman had him blushing.

“Perhaps you need an eye exam? I assure you I am not considered to be eye candy.” he retorted.

She laughed. She might as well go for it, as this man would probably never speak to her again after this embarrassing situation.

“You are ‘eye candy’ to me!” she countered, blushing slightly herself.

He stared at her, dumbfounded. Who was this woman? She was flirting with him, all the while having a boyfriend downstairs waiting for her. And why would anyone consider him eye candy?

“Oh lighten up,” she told him. “I’m just enjoying the view. I’m loyal to Remus and would never do anything to hurt him.”

Severus cleared his throat loudly, not quite sure how to proceed.

“Let’s just move along, shall we?” he muttered after a minute.

She nodded again.

“Legilimens” he chanted again and was inside her head.

She found it relatively easy to block her thoughts from him and let him see the ones that would prove her loyalty to the Order. He probably was too involved with the events of the past few minutes to really do a good job of reading her thoughts. She secretly thanked heaven for small favors. Perhaps all of her flirting had worked in her favor after all.

He withdrew and nodded to her, telling her that she had passed his test. She smiled at him.

“Are you prepared to duel?” he asked her quickly.

She withdrew her wand and prepared her stance. Before she knew it, Severus had thrown a silent spell at her. She felt it come at her before she saw it and shielded it. Seconds later she threw her own silent spell, which Severus easily blocked. He is good, she mused to herself, but so am I. They sparred for a while, neither one of them getting the upper hand until Severus put his hand up to signal the end of the duel.

“That was sufficient. I will inform Dumbledore of your results,” he told her and turned and left the room abruptly.

She lowered her wand. Wondering what his recommendation would be, she descended the stairs and went back into the study, where everyone but Snape and Dumbledore were still gathered, discussing the agenda for the next meeting. She spied Remus sitting alone on a couch and went to join him.
He glanced over at her and grasped her hand. She smiled at him and he assumed that the test must have gone well or she would not be so happy.

Dumbledore returned a minute later, followed by Snape, who sat stonily in the seat he had vacated earlier.

Dumbledore addressed the group while looking directly at Bree.

“It seems that we have a new member to induct.
Congratulations, Bree. Severus said you did adequately with your tasks. Not knowing him, you wouldn’t realize that that is high praise coming from him.”

She grinned and glanced over at him. He was scowling at her. It made him look deliciously dangerous. She mentally kicked herself. She needed to give that line of thought up right now. ‘No liabilities’ was always her motto when she was on a job. The last thing she needed was to be attracted to that enigma sitting across from her.

She looked over at Dumbledore as he asked her to stand in front of him. Raising herself from her seat she crossed the room and extended her arm as he had told her to do. He grasped it and told her to repeat the oath after him.

“I promise to be faithful to the Order of the Phoenix for as long as I live,” he stated.

“I promise to be faithful to the Order of the Phoenix for as long as I live,” she repeated.

A glowing string wrapped around their wrists.

Dumbledore went on, “I promise to never reveal any secret location or meeting place of the Order of the Phoenix.”

She repeated the phrase and another string appeared.

“I promise to never reveal any of the secrets of the Order of the Phoenix.”

Again she repeated and again another string wrapped itself snugly around their wrists.

“I promise to give my all in the forwarding of the causes of the Order of the Phoenix.”

She repeated the last part and a golden string wrapped itself around their wrists. Dumbledore held his wand over their wrists. He tapped the strings and they seemed to be absorbed into their skin.

“This oath you take is now valid. It is bound to you by me, Albus Dumbledore. The repercussions for breaking this oath will be severe. Do you understand?”

Bree nodded solemnly.

“Then welcome, Brianna Corwin, newest member of the Order of the Phoenix.” Dumbledore grasped her hand in both of his and shook it heartily.

There was clapping among the other members and Bree smiled as she returned to her seat. Dumbledore then adjourned the meeting and invited everyone to stay for dinner. Snape rose immediately and left the room, but everyone else stayed to shake her hand and congratulate her on her new member status.

After a while everyone but Bree and Remus had cleared out of the study. He placed his arm around her lovingly.

“Congratulations, Bree. I knew you could do it.”

“Thank you, Remus. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to join.”

Remus closed in and placed a loving kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. Neither of them noticed the dark man watching them from the hallway, his eyes narrowed and disgust showing on his face.

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Next up: After dinner conversation.

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